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Story of the Fair Maiden
By: Elena Bagwell
"The Maiden & The Unicorn" By
Scott Gustafson
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I decided to wrap up my adventures with
a trip to Belgium. I flew into Brussels to visit an old college
friend who studied abroad in Belgium while I studied in Spain. We
went out to dinner one night and she told me all the places that were
worth visiting while I was in Belgium. My friend mentioned a
museum/library that was well liked by the locals, but practically a
secret to tourists. She told me it was a museum that housed
one of the largest collections of Belgium folklore and that the museum
had a library in it where I could read folk stories that might help me
better understand Belgium history and culture. My friend
gave me directions, which I followed bright and early the next
morning. Once I finally reached the museum I understood why it
was known only to locals because it was definitely off the beaten
path. I spent some time walking around the museum, which was
small but full of great pieces. After spending a few hours
inspecting the museum I moved on to the library. I didn't
know where to start so I began collecting random books into my
hands. One of them happened to be a collection of folk stories
about Belgium's most recognized mythological beasts. I read a few
stories about dragons, wyverns, and werewolves. I flipped beyond
the section of evil beasts and came across a story titled "The Story of
the Fair Maiden." It sounded uplifting so I settled into the
couch and began reading it. I was immediately taken back to the
time period the story was set in and I found myself in a field of
flowers, standing next to a little person who appeared to be very old.
"Hello..." I said.
He did not hesitate to begin explaining where I was and what my purpose was in being there.
"Do you believe in Little People?" he asked sternly.
"Uhhh...I don't know...I guess, but I have never met one," I replied.
"Well, you should," he said. "Good things happen to people who believe in them. Let me tell you a story that proves why."
"There was once a Fair Maid who lived in the ruins of a once magnificent castle in the north of Belgium. She had once been the daughter of a royal family that had more land and riches then you could imagine. That ended the day that a rival king took everything away from them. The Fair Maid's troubled life hardened her spirit so that her eyes turned black as night, but her skin remained white as the first fallen snow. She dressed herself in the tattered remains of her velvet gowns and walked barefoot because she had no shoes. Her only possessions were a cow, two sheep, and three hens. The Fair Maid's only companions were a wrinkled Old Crone for a servant and a white Unicorn that served as her guard. Talk began to spread around the country of a beautiful Maid that was accompanied by an even more beautiful Unicorn. The young men of the country soon began to think of the sport they would have hunting this Unicorn and marrying the Fair Maid. The young men made their way out to the Maid's overgrown land and came across the Fair Maid with her Unicorn. They attempted to shoot their arrows, but were frozen stiff when the Unicorn shook his head. They could do nothing but stare until the couple moved out of sight. Ashamed of their inability to kill the Unicorn, the men left the countryside. They cursed the Maid who they agreed looked more like a beggar and was far less beautiful than expected. Word spread of the ugly Maid and her worthless Unicorn so that they were left in peace and forgotten about for many years. As time passed, one fine spring morning arrived when the Maid with her Unicorn wandered a little farther than usual while taking one of their daily walks. They were walking through a field of golden flowers when the Maid saw a stone farmhouse in the distance. Suddenly, she heard the sound of something crying. They stumbled upon a little man, old, bearded, and wrinkled who was lying in the grass weeping. He explained that he was the Oldest and Wisest of the Little People who had no where to go after being kicked out of their farm by a new farmer. The Oldest and Wisest wept for his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren because they were all frightened, hungry, and homeless. The Fair Maid offered to share her ruined castle as a home if the Unicorn and the Old Crone consented, which they did. After arriving at their new home, the Maid fed her new roommates and gave them sheets to sleep with. The Oldest and Wisest thanked her for her hospitality and told her she would never regret that day. That night, while the Maid slept soundly on the floor next to the fireplace the castle filled with the sound of singing, whistling, hammering, and sawing. The next morning the Maid awoke to a new roof over her castle. The work continued the next several nights until the castle had received new doors, glass windows, furniture, bed coverings, tapestries, dishes, and goblets of Venetian glass. After the castle had been renovated, the Little People moved on to the Fair Maid's surrounding land. They plowed the fields and planted seeds of all kinds. They replaced the one cow with a hundred cows, the two sheep with two hundred sheep, and the three hens with three hundred hens. The Fair Maid could not contain her delight and declared that she would not accept anything the Little People had done for her if she couldn't do something in return. The Oldest and Wisest said the only thing he would ask from her is that she find a husband and a master for the castle, which the Maid promised she would do. The Oldest and Wisest offered that he would spread the news of the Maid's hand in married to all the prospective suitors, and that they arrive at her castle on the first morning of May. They came from everywhere, princes from the Frozen North, Warm South, Eastern Seaboard, and the Western Isles. Each was more handsome, intelligent, fierce, and brave then the next, but there was a problem. Each one the Fair Maid met she asked a question and the question was 'Would you have room in your castle for the Little People?' and she expected a certain answer in order to marry the prince. The problem came when each of them answered that he had no room for the Little People and that they were a nuisance that should be gotten rid of. Not one prince answered her question correctly and the Fair Maid was left with no one to marry. She asked the Oldest and Wisest what she should do, but before he could answer the Old Crone jumped in and said 'Follow your heart.' The Maid thought for a moment and then turned to the Unicorn who had always been by her side as her friend and guardian. 'If you were a prince, would you have room in your castle for the Little People?' she asked. 'Always,' the Unicorn replied. The snow-white Unicorn disappeared and in his place stood a prince who was much more than all the others before him. The Fair Maid and the Unicorn-Prince were married and, with the Old Crone and the Little People, they lived happily ever after."
Author's Note:
I wanted to end my storybook on a positive note. I came across this story and really liked it. I thought the Fair Maid was a representation of my protagonist, Juliet. They have both let themselves go and are not only physical, but emotional wrecks too. They both lived wonderful lives before, but good fortune passed and they are both alone and living troubled lives. The fact that the Fair Maid found her handsome prince and lived happily ever after is my way of creating an open ending so that the reader can hope that Juliet will experience the same. I took this story and changed the setting. The original setting was England, but I moved it to Belgium because I wanted a more exotic location. The original story was told in the traditional third-person narration, but I changed it to be told by a Little Person. I summarized most of the story and changed a lot of the original dialogue to standard text.
Bibliography:
"The Story of the Fair Maiden"
Website: Bilbo's World
Weblink: http://www.delanohighschool.org/BillBaugher/stories/storyReader$1053
Finish the
journey with The Meaning of it All...
"Hello..." I said.
He did not hesitate to begin explaining where I was and what my purpose was in being there.
"Do you believe in Little People?" he asked sternly.
"Uhhh...I don't know...I guess, but I have never met one," I replied.
"Well, you should," he said. "Good things happen to people who believe in them. Let me tell you a story that proves why."
"There was once a Fair Maid who lived in the ruins of a once magnificent castle in the north of Belgium. She had once been the daughter of a royal family that had more land and riches then you could imagine. That ended the day that a rival king took everything away from them. The Fair Maid's troubled life hardened her spirit so that her eyes turned black as night, but her skin remained white as the first fallen snow. She dressed herself in the tattered remains of her velvet gowns and walked barefoot because she had no shoes. Her only possessions were a cow, two sheep, and three hens. The Fair Maid's only companions were a wrinkled Old Crone for a servant and a white Unicorn that served as her guard. Talk began to spread around the country of a beautiful Maid that was accompanied by an even more beautiful Unicorn. The young men of the country soon began to think of the sport they would have hunting this Unicorn and marrying the Fair Maid. The young men made their way out to the Maid's overgrown land and came across the Fair Maid with her Unicorn. They attempted to shoot their arrows, but were frozen stiff when the Unicorn shook his head. They could do nothing but stare until the couple moved out of sight. Ashamed of their inability to kill the Unicorn, the men left the countryside. They cursed the Maid who they agreed looked more like a beggar and was far less beautiful than expected. Word spread of the ugly Maid and her worthless Unicorn so that they were left in peace and forgotten about for many years. As time passed, one fine spring morning arrived when the Maid with her Unicorn wandered a little farther than usual while taking one of their daily walks. They were walking through a field of golden flowers when the Maid saw a stone farmhouse in the distance. Suddenly, she heard the sound of something crying. They stumbled upon a little man, old, bearded, and wrinkled who was lying in the grass weeping. He explained that he was the Oldest and Wisest of the Little People who had no where to go after being kicked out of their farm by a new farmer. The Oldest and Wisest wept for his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren because they were all frightened, hungry, and homeless. The Fair Maid offered to share her ruined castle as a home if the Unicorn and the Old Crone consented, which they did. After arriving at their new home, the Maid fed her new roommates and gave them sheets to sleep with. The Oldest and Wisest thanked her for her hospitality and told her she would never regret that day. That night, while the Maid slept soundly on the floor next to the fireplace the castle filled with the sound of singing, whistling, hammering, and sawing. The next morning the Maid awoke to a new roof over her castle. The work continued the next several nights until the castle had received new doors, glass windows, furniture, bed coverings, tapestries, dishes, and goblets of Venetian glass. After the castle had been renovated, the Little People moved on to the Fair Maid's surrounding land. They plowed the fields and planted seeds of all kinds. They replaced the one cow with a hundred cows, the two sheep with two hundred sheep, and the three hens with three hundred hens. The Fair Maid could not contain her delight and declared that she would not accept anything the Little People had done for her if she couldn't do something in return. The Oldest and Wisest said the only thing he would ask from her is that she find a husband and a master for the castle, which the Maid promised she would do. The Oldest and Wisest offered that he would spread the news of the Maid's hand in married to all the prospective suitors, and that they arrive at her castle on the first morning of May. They came from everywhere, princes from the Frozen North, Warm South, Eastern Seaboard, and the Western Isles. Each was more handsome, intelligent, fierce, and brave then the next, but there was a problem. Each one the Fair Maid met she asked a question and the question was 'Would you have room in your castle for the Little People?' and she expected a certain answer in order to marry the prince. The problem came when each of them answered that he had no room for the Little People and that they were a nuisance that should be gotten rid of. Not one prince answered her question correctly and the Fair Maid was left with no one to marry. She asked the Oldest and Wisest what she should do, but before he could answer the Old Crone jumped in and said 'Follow your heart.' The Maid thought for a moment and then turned to the Unicorn who had always been by her side as her friend and guardian. 'If you were a prince, would you have room in your castle for the Little People?' she asked. 'Always,' the Unicorn replied. The snow-white Unicorn disappeared and in his place stood a prince who was much more than all the others before him. The Fair Maid and the Unicorn-Prince were married and, with the Old Crone and the Little People, they lived happily ever after."
Author's Note:
I wanted to end my storybook on a positive note. I came across this story and really liked it. I thought the Fair Maid was a representation of my protagonist, Juliet. They have both let themselves go and are not only physical, but emotional wrecks too. They both lived wonderful lives before, but good fortune passed and they are both alone and living troubled lives. The fact that the Fair Maid found her handsome prince and lived happily ever after is my way of creating an open ending so that the reader can hope that Juliet will experience the same. I took this story and changed the setting. The original setting was England, but I moved it to Belgium because I wanted a more exotic location. The original story was told in the traditional third-person narration, but I changed it to be told by a Little Person. I summarized most of the story and changed a lot of the original dialogue to standard text.
Bibliography:
"The Story of the Fair Maiden"
Website: Bilbo's World
Weblink: http://www.delanohighschool.org/BillBaugher/stories/storyReader$1053